Writers, are you using Twitter hashtags for engagement?

When it comes to social media, we all have platforms we like and others we tolerate—the latter because we feel a need to be there. Several months ago I abandoned Facebook, a platform I only tolerated. Since then, I’ve been trying to be more selective where I spend my time, and also, to use that time more wisely.

I’ve always loved Twitter. One check-in and I immediately know what’s newsworthy and what’s trending. Lately, I’ve been using the platform to connect more openly with other writers—thanks mainly to Judi Lynn, who nudged me to participate in #1LineWed.

If you’re not already familiar with #1LineWed, it’s loads of fun and great for connecting with other authors. How does it work?

Each Wednesday, Kiss of Death (@RWAKissofDeath) a twitter feed devoted to romantic mysteries and thrillers, posts a theme/topic. Your work doesn’t have to be romantic in nature to participate. Just follow the theme.

As I write this post, some recent Kiss of Death themes have been Treasure, Second Chance, Letter, and Fly. Find a snippet from your work that includes the theme word and share it on Twitter. Don’t forget to tag it #1LineWed. Then look for other authors who are also sharing. Like, comment, and/or RT a few. I’ve had great interaction this way, gained new followers, and have read some intriguing snippets. Doing this on a regular basis opens you to quality Twitter connections.

But #1LineWed isn’t the only weekly Twitter meme. Once Judi got me involved, I enjoyed it so much, I start looking for more themes and ways to share. Now I try to participate in at least one event per day.

If you’d like to find out what is being hosted each day, I suggest following Free Writing Events (@writevent). Most of the themed hashtags are hosted by individual tweeps. Free Writing Events rounds up daily events then lists them in a single tweet. They’re also great for sharing pitchfests, calls for submissions, writing contests, etc.

Still not following?On a recent #1LineWed, the theme was SECOND CHANCES.I tweeted:

Occasionally, I’ll add a graphic to draw attention.In this example, the theme for #FanWriFri was RUINS.

And another from #1LineWed where the theme was LETTER.

I’ve found (so far) that interaction seems to be the best on #1LineWed as opposed to some of the other prompts. I think more writers are participating then, but I’m still experimenting. I also want to try sharing at different times of the day to see if that makes a difference.

Another hashtag that results in excellent connections and communication is #WritingCommunity. If you’re not using this one, you’re missing out on wonderful networking, support, writing tips, and sharing in the celebrations of the author community. Try it out on Twitter. Engage in a few conversations or start your own. I try to check this hashtag at least twice a day to see what my peers are chatting about or sharing.

Have I sold doing books this? Not that I know of, but my Twitter followers have grown and I’ve had fun participating. Best of all, the Tweeps I’m interacting with are other writers. This is one part of social media that I actually enjoy and look forward to!

So, let’s talk—have you participated in any of these events? What has your experience been? If you haven’t participated, would you consider giving one a try? Which prompt interests you the most? Linger a spell, and share your thoughts.

Hi, there. I am so glad you dropped by and I hope you find the suggested hashtags of use. Try #WritingCommunity for a good bit of interaction. I do agree it can be hard to connect on Twitter, but these hashtags will help with that interaction. It may take a little while of consistently using them, but I you’ll find an entire new Twitter (and writing) experience through them. Good luck!

I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I am still on Facebook, but spend less and less time there and more time on Twitter. I’m trying to get the hang of Instagram. It seems to be a combination of the other two and the hashtags seem to be super important there as well. Thanks for sharing this, Mae! I will check them out.

I need to do better on Instagram too, Jan. I tend to forget about it, but enjoy it when I take the time to poke around. After blogging, Twitter remains my favorite. I[‘m glad you found the post of value!

Sigh… I just don’t ‘get’ Twitter. Every time I get on it I get hopelessly lost! I try to follow a thread (or conversation, or twit, or whatever it’s called) and can’t see what other people have written… I just get frustrated! So I tend to ignore my Twitter account unfortunately.

You’re not alone, Jess. I know many people who get frustrated with Twitter. It does help to use a platform like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to make sense of it.I use Hootsuite but don’t rely on it as much as I used to, and just use my Twitter profile. The oddest thing is that when I first joined, I thought it would be the platform I disliked the most, and it turns out it’s my favorite after blogging.
For something simple and fun, the daily writing prompts are great. You could share snippets from Guns of Perdition!

I did not know about this Mae and I’m on Twitter all the time. I would have to do this via my computer over phone (which is how I do most of my social media) but it does sound fun. I love all the author interaction in the writers community and have joined a few of their threads. It is a great way to get to know each.other and show our support. I’ve noticed a strong community on Instagram, too and have joined a loop there with much success– and enjoy the interactions there too. Thanks for sharing this Mae. I will be checking it out.

Denise, I hope you have fun with it. I so enjoy the daily writing prompts, especially #1LineWed. And I’ve found that he #writercommunity hashtag is a goldmine for interaction and connections. I have connected with so many great tweeps and love sharing snippets from my work. There is a treasure-trove of poetry on Twitter too!

Facebook is proving to be rather a dead loss lately, Mae. I am also on Twitter and Pinterest. I like Instagram for my Sir Chocolate stuff and baking and I love blogging. I spend most of my social media time blogging and the rest of my free time writing or baking.

Blogging will always be my favorite, Robbie. I like Instagram too but it slips my mind. I have to make more of an effort to start using it again. Same with Pinterest. I would love to poke around on there and build story boards.One of these days I’ll manage my time better, LOL!

Fantastic share, Mae! I’ve used a few poetry hashtags and occasionally #writerslife and #writingtips, but I love the aspect of engagement with the ones you’ve shared above. Thanks a bunch, as always. Cheers! 🙂

I love participating in twitter hashtag games! I recently got back into #authorconfessions, which is a pretty fun daily prompt. And for people who write a little slowly, there’s also a support group called #turtlewriters.

Joan, I really enjoy them. sometimes it’s a challenge to find something in my WIP to match the theme. In others, previous work is okay, or anything you might be working on at random. Be sure to check out the #writingcommunity hashtag, too. That one is gold!

I haven’t done these. Heck, I haven’t heard of most of them. I rely a lot on #TuesdayBookBlog for my posts and #MondayBlogs for SE posts, but I’ve never actually done snippets like you posted that are tweet-only (as opposed to being generated from blog posts). Sounds like fun! Thanks for sharing these.

I’m surprised by how much I enjoy playing with these, Staci. And it’s a great way to connect with other writers.

Last night I participated in a follow thread using the #writercommunity hashtag and my follower count increased 400+ and is still growing. They’re all writers, which I really like. As for the daily snippet tweets, I always enjoy seeing what the theme is. Free Writing Events (@writevent) does an excellent job of posting those each day, plus I always check Kiss of Death (@RWAKissofDeath). Have fun!